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Recommended: Use of Symbolism
The artwork known as The Luncheon or Le Déjeuner is a painting done by François Boucher-a French Rococo painter-in 1739. The painting depicts a breakfast scenario involving an 18th century European family (possibly French). There are five people in the painting, a man, two women and two children. One would describe the moment as depicting a mother, her two beautiful children, their farther and their governess at breakfast. They all seem to be well dressed with attires portraying the family to be of middle class status.
The painting is symmetrically balanced as the focal point, which is the family is placed at the center. The entire room has a rocaille interior. Going into detail, the table where the family is seated is situated at the corner. It is a small lacquer table that is
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rectangular in shape and has a small drawer on the side of its width which is in profile towards the left side of the painting. What is visible from the table is its surface which is painted red, and the drawer as well as three of its legs (two in the foreground and one in the background), both painted black. On the table, there are five cups with saucers and a small pot (all porcelain). All the cups are turned upside down except two which appear to be in use by the two women on either side of the table. Behind the table on the background is a wall, well decorated and painted in gold and blue-green colors. The wall has a structure that appears to be a fireplace. The fireplace is wide, nicely decorated in rocaille and painted in cream. On top of the fireplace is a grand rococo mirror painted in gold and crafted with fine details on its structure. On the outside of the mirror are two panels left and right that are blue-green in color and gold on the edges. The panels are mounted with rococo decors at the bottom that seem to twist upwards about 15cm. In the middle of the panels are two rococo chandeliers with two candle holders each that also twine upwards. The holders have candles that are unlit. The mirror has a curvy design that goes slightly up from both sides and the curves downwards to meet in the middle. Connected to the decorative curves is a painting with a round frame which is also in gold. There is a reflection of what appears to be a closed door on the opposite side of the room on the mirror. Still on the back wall, there are two small shelves with three square compartments on the opposite sides of the mirror panels.
The one on the right is barely showing as it is right on the edge of the painting. Just as the mirror, the shelves are built on the wall, not into the wall. The left shelf contains a small kettle on its very top and what appears to be a porcelain statuette seated on its top compartment. Lastly, on the back wall is a rococo clock to the left. The wall clock is round and of average size. It however has a structure with a beautiful flowery design that extends slightly upwards and then a little more going down. The structure is gold in color and its design matches that of the chandelier and the mirror. The wall on the left side of the corner is only featured slightly. It has a big window that covers almost the length of the room. It is has small panes that don’t seem to open but its long dark curtains are open allowing it to light up the room beautifully. Still on the wall, a small fraction of a small beautifully decorated rococo table with what looks like an emerald porcelain vase can be seen. The table is gold in color and has a little cushioned stool on its
right. On the left side of the fireplace towards the wall leans the farther. He is dressed in a white retro shirt with a pale green coat. He is holding a silver oriental teapot placed on top of the white napkin on the fireplace. On his face is an inquisitive gaze as he tilts his head sideways, attentively looking at the small girl on the bottom right of the picture. Next to the farther is the mother seated on the left side of the table. She is in a dark blue dress, a black band with white ribbon around her neck and a wrist watch with black straps. She is facing away from the picture with her attention to the small girl on her lap. She is holding a golden spoon towards the child’s mouth with her right hand. The girl on her lap is facing towards the picture. She is dressed in a white head gear that is tied around her neck and a brown dress. On the right side of the table is another of the governess. She has a white flowing dress with a red shoal on her shoulders and a white ribbon with a red flower on her head. She is holding a cup of hot beverage with her left hand while her right has a golden spoon directed towards the small girl on her left. Her face is also turned towards the girl. The girl grabbing the attention is seated on a small stool. She has a green coat, a white dress and a ribbon around her head. She is looking up towards the governess while hanging on to her beloved toys-a horse on her lap and a doll on her feet. Le Déjeuner is said to be a picture of the artist, François Boucher and his family engaging in an intimate moment over lunch at the corner of a salon with a rocaille interior. The youthful man at the back with the teapot in hand is said to be Boucher. The porcelain statuette on the top compartment of the shelf is apparently a pagod, a Chinese god that is known for bringing happiness and good fortune. The tea service on the lacquer table is also a notable feature in the painting. The three objects; the lacquer table, tea service and the pagod statuette are all from the East. They depict an element of chinioserie and add show an impression of luxury and fashion in the viewer’s eyes. The Le Déjeuner painter was born in Paris, France on September 29th 1703. His father was Nicholas Boucher, a minor painter who gave François his initial training in art. At the tender age of 17, he became Francois Lemoyne’s apprentice but abandoned that pursuit to work for Jean-Francois Cars (an engraver) after only 3 months. Three years later, Boucher won a scholarship known as Grand Prix de Rome but did not study in Italy till 4 years later. In 1731 after returning from his studies in Italy, Boucher gained admission as a historical painter in the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture thereby gaining faculty membership 3 years later.
The central focus on the table, in the painting, is what it appears to look like a book of Sor Juana. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, is a huge Mexican, feminist icon. During the seventeenth century, while the Spanish still occupied mexican territory, The catholic church had a significant amount of power. Sor Juana challenged the church by being a controversial figure at the time by her being a well-educated woman, nun, and poet/writer, during a time where men were
My initial thought about this painting is that it seems to be incorrect. The reflection in the mirror shows that the lady is looking in the direction of the man standing in front of her. If the lady is looking at the man their reflections should not be off to the side. The second observation is the lady is sad or disappointed and is looking past the man standing in front of her. My last observation is there are three sections from left to right; bottles and the audience, the lady, and the reflections of the lady and man. The most interesting concept about this artwork is how the reflections seem to be inaccurate. If the bottles and the reflections of the lady and the man standing in front of her are at an angle, then why are the vertical lines perpendicular to each other?
This painting is set within what seems to be the nineteenth century. One can infer this information based on the clothing, furniture, and architectural styles prevalent in the picture. The main figure that is central in the piece, the older man, fits the role of what appears to be a teaching position, where the boys that surround him are his students. The scene displayed here is one of an examination day. Each boy must t...
Contextual Theory: This painting depicts a portrait of life during the late 1800’s. The women’s clothing and hair style represent that era. Gorgeous landscape and a leisurely moment are captured by the artist in this work of
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
The work depicts a family in plain clothing enclosed in a simple solitary room with a fading fire amidst the dark shadows of the background and another light source that extends from beyond the scope of the canvas. At first glance the influences of Caravaggio and Rembrandt are apparent. Their faces are neither, sad, sullen, angry, or joyful, but rather their emotional expression is plain and uncomplicated, adding a sense of timelessness to the painting. As in the description (20-34) of the piece which states; “It reflects 17th Century social theory, which celebrated the natural virtue of those that worked the soil”, (p. 609). The idea of portraying a classic simple lifestyle is a refreshing one and a concept which will reoccur in other works of the Baroque period.
The painting depicts a mother and her four children, who are all leaning on her as she looks down solemnly, her tired, despondent expression suggests she felt trapped in her roles as being a mother and a wife. The woman and her children are clearly the focal point of the artwork as the bright colours used to paint them stand out impeccably against the dull, lifeless colours of the background. This painting appears to be centred around the ideology that women are home-keepers, whose main role is to satisfy and assist her husband while simultaneously minding the children and keeping the home tidy and ready for his return. The social consequences of this artwork could have been that the woman could have been berated for not taking pleasure out of being a mother and raising her children, as a woman should. She could have been made redundant as her husband may have felt as though she is no longer useful if she couldn’t adequately adhere to her roles as a mother and a
The piece shows Marie posing with her three children, the reason for this painting was to create a public message depicting her as more than just elegance and put her on the same level as the general public. Because the painting was meant for the eyes of the general public the painting is rather bland and lacks detail. Instead of Marie looking down on the population showing off her lavish and extravagant items she has just her children attempting to depict herself as a regular mother just like every other female raising children. There is very little details in the paint except for the empty baby carriage which was most likely only included to honor the death of one of her children at a young
It differs greatly, in its portrayal of mothers, from Le Brun’s Self-portrait with her Daughter and Cassatt’s artworks. Behind Marie Antoinette, you see a jewelry cabinet, off to the right of the canvas. This illustrates that, although she is with her children, she finds treasure within her own materialistic objects. Furthermore, her expression lacks emotion as she holds the child loosely within her arms. The child looks off, barely acknowledging its mother, who is holding him. Next, the child, on the far right of the canvas, reveals an empty cradle, alluding to a child who has died. Again, Marie seems unfazed or simply chooses not to acknowledge the boy’s actions. Furthermore, the young girl, on the right of the canvas, clings on to her mother as she lovingly looks up to her mother. Marie holds a wry smile, appearing somewhat annoyed or displeased. The color scheme is dark, but Le Brun utilizes contrast to emphasize the royal family. However, it only works to further expose the detached relationship between a Marie and her children. According to the lecture, “To counter people’s hatred of the queen and their criticisms of her as a bad (even a degenerate) mother, Vigée Le Brun was commissioned to paint this portrait of Marie Antoinette and her children” (Gartrell). Sadly, the painting was
Examining the formal qualities of Homer Watson’s painting Horse and Rider In A Landscape was quite interesting. I chose to analyze this piece as apposed to the others because it was the piece I liked the least, therefore making me analyze it more closely and discover other aspects of the work, besides aesthetics.
... study for the overall concept they appear rather as abstract patterns. The shadows of the figures were very carefully modeled. The light- dark contrasts of the shadows make them seem actually real. The spatial quality is only established through the relations between the sizes of the objects. The painting is not based on a geometrical, box like space. The perspective centre is on the right, despite the fact that the composition is laid in rows parallel to the picture frame. At the same time a paradoxical foreshortening from right to left is evident. The girl fishing with the orange dress and her mother are on the same level, that is, actually at equal distance. In its spatial contruction, the painting is also a successful construction, the groups of people sitting in the shade, and who should really be seen from above, are all shown directly from the side. The ideal eye level would actually be on different horizontal lines; first at head height of the standing figures, then of those seated. Seurats methods of combing observations which he collected over two years, corresponds, in its self invented techniques, to a modern lifelike painting rather than an academic history painting.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
As I enter the Gioconda and Joseph King Gallery at the Norton Museum of Art the first thing that Caught my attention was a painting measuring approximately at 4 ft. by 10 ft. on the side wall in a well- light area. As I further examine the painting the first thing I notice is that it has super realism. It also has color, texture, implied space, stopped time, and that it is a representational piece. The foreign man sitting on the chair next to a bed has a disturbed look on his face and is deep into his own thoughts. It’s as if someone he loved dearly just experienced a tragic and untimely death. He is in early depression. I could feel the pain depicted in his eyes. A book titled The Unquiet Grave lying open on the floor by the unmade bed suggesting something is left unresolved. The scattered photos and papers by the bedside cause redintegration. The picture of Medusa’s head screaming on the headboard is a silent scream filled with anger and pain, yet it cannot be heard. I feel as if I am in the one sitting in the chair and I can feel the anger, and regret.
The most emphasized part of this image is the man lying on top of the child and leaning against the bed, part of the body being directly in the center and seems to take up the most space, this is where the eye tends to linger. The negative space is made interesting by including a turned over chair, and rumpled sheets on a bed and other homely objects, which indicates that this is set in a home. The contrast that is shown in this artwork is through the use of value since Daumier used implied light, the brighter and darker areas create a contrast against each other. While this piece is not symmetrically balanced, it is balanced asymmetrically. It is asymmetrically balanced through a man and most of a bed being placed in the center, on the right is a small child, the upper torso of an older looking man, a chair next to him, and the rest of the bed; on the left of the man is most of what seems to be a woman, and other less detailed furniture. There is a sense of repetition through the positive shapes of the people lying on the floor, this is also shown through the use of line that creates the entire lithograph. This provides a sense of cohesiveness and unity throughout the
The painting depicts two figures, the one of a woman and of a man. The dominating central figure is the one of the woman. We see her profile as she looks to the left. Her hands are crossed in a graceful manner. She has blonde hair and her figure is lit by what seems to be natur...